Report on the “Songs from the Heart” Concert
Roadside demonstration: Thursday 21st February,
Coffs Harbour
Next market stall: Coffs Harbourside Market, Sunday 24th February
The Medevac Bill set to become law
It’s better to come by plane!
Report on the “Songs from the Heart” Concert
We were delighted to be offered the opportunity to
have a presence at the Songs from the Heart concert in the beautiful main hall
of the Nambucca Community and Arts Centre on Sunday 17thFebruary. The
concert was well-attended and much enjoyed by the appreciative audience.
Takings from our raffle, sales of works of art and donations amounted to $376,
which will be donated to the Asylum Seekers Centre. We also sold merchandise
amounting to $230, and the profits from these sales will also be sent to ASC.
It was a great opportunity to promote our cause and to speak up for refugees
and asylum seekers, especially those who have been languishing for more than
five years on Manus and Nauru. We collected lots of signatures on our letter to
minister Dutton and signed up a number of new supporters.
A huge thank you to our great team of helpers, and to
Heather Rose for allowing us to promote our cause at her concert.
Roadside demonstration: Thursday 21st February,
Coffs Harbour
Our next roadside demonstration is this Thursday,
21st February from 2.30 to 4.00
pm opposite the Base hospital, by the Pacific Highway in Coffs Harbour. It would be
great if you could join us, to help us keep the plight of refugees and asylum
seekers in the public eye as we approach the federal election. There is so much
misinformation and scaremongering about asylum seekers and refugees at the
moment, as politicians seek to use the issue as a tool for re-election. It is
beyond sad that these people are used as political fodder in the fight for
votes. We have lots of placards and banners to share, so please join us if you
can.
Next market stall: Coffs Harbourside Market, Sunday 24th February
Our next market stall will be at the Coffs Harbourside
market next Sunday 24th February
from9.00 am until 1.30 pm. We’ll be handing out leaflets, collecting
signatures, selling our merchandise and interacting with market-goers. The
markets are always enjoyable events, so why not give it a try? If you can help
out for an hour or two, then please email Mike at: mandm.griffin2@bigpond.com.
The Medevac Bill set to become law
Against the odds, the bill to put doctors, rather than
bureaucrats and politicians, at the forefront of decisions about the medical
treatment of refugees and asylum seekers on Manus and Nauru, finally got
through the House of Representatives and the Senate last week. Sadly, but
predictably, the passage of the Bill has resulted in an onslaught of fearmongering
from the government and its friends in the media.
A few facts:
The new legislation, enabling the medical evacuation
of sick people, applies only to people currently on Manus and Nauru. It does
not apply to any future asylum seekers. This amendment was adopted by Labor,
and agreed to by the Greens, independents and crossbenchers following advice
from the intelligence service.
The minister retains the right to reject transfers on
a number of grounds, including security risk or if the person has a
“substantial criminal record”.
The minister will decide whether transferees move into
detention centres or community detention on arrival in Australia.
The bill specifically states that the transfers will
be temporary, and that, once treatment is completed, people will be returned to
Manus or Nauru, though it has to be said that this has not happened with
earlier transfers.
As at 9th February,
879 sick people and their families have been transferred to Australia, many of
them as a result of intervention by the courts, but more recently, particularly
following the Wentworth by election, through the direct action of the
government. This has not resulted in any boats arriving in Australian waters
from Indonesia. Not one!
So far, more than 400 people have been transferred
from Manus and Nauru for resettlement in the US. As with medical transferees,
this has not resulted in any “pull factor”.
In recent years, an armada of Australian naval vessels
has prevented asylum-seeker boats from entering Australian waters. Some 34
boats, carrying more than 1,000 people, have been turned back or towed back
into Indonesian waters.
So, what is all the fuss about? The new legislation
simply, and rightly, places responsibility for medical decisions in the hands
of those best placed to make them, namely doctors. It should be
uncontroversial, given its limited scope. The reality is that it finally opens
up some small difference between the Coalition and the Labor party on asylum
policy, which clearly will be exploited unmercifully by the government and its
friends in the media in the months ahead. But, as many have commented in recent
times, it is possible to have secure borders without treating people cruelly.
That is surely the message that we have to continue to articulate, until every
asylum seeker and refugee is removed from Manus and Nauru, and resettled safely
in Australia, the US, New Zealand and any other safe country will to accept
them.
It’s better to come by plane!
In recent years, an increasing number of people have
arrived in Australia by plane on tourist or other visas, and have sought asylum
on arrival. They are mostly from India, Malaysia and China. On arrival, they
are issued with bridging visas whilst their claims are processed, and they are
allowed to work. Given the huge cuts to staffing in the immigration department,
their asylum claims take at least three years to process. Almost all claims are
rejected, as the people involved are almost all economic migrants, not
refugees. Only 2% of claims have been accepted. Last year alone, 27,000 people
arrived in Australia by plane and sought asylum. They typically then work in
exploitative conditions in the catering, hospitality and agricultural sectors.
For some
reason, these significant numbers don’t seem to be attracting much attention
from our politicians or the media.
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